This invention relates to a process for separating tungsten from a solution containing tungstate and perrhenate ions.
In the reclamation of tungsten and rhenium values from material such as alloy scrap, separation of these values is necessary to permit preparation of relatively pure tungsten and relatively pure rhenium products.
This separation has been done by passing an alkaline solution of the tungsten and rhenium values through a strongly basic anion exchange resin so that the rhenium is preferentially absorbed and the tungsten is not. Disadvantages of the ion exchange method include difficulty of stripping rhenium from the resin, the inefficiency of separation should a high concentration of certain ions such as chloride be present, and the necessity of having large scale specialized equipment available.
A process for separating tungsten from rhenium without the above disadvantages would be an advancement in the art.